All of you are probably questioning what is wrong. Finally, I am going a midweek blog post! Are things slowing down? Am I getting back into my old ways? The answer is yes…..soon. Very, very soon. There are so many things that I want to tell you but yet, it will have to wait one more day. Today friends, I have the joy to bring to you another review. I hope you all are sticking with me in my busy life. Each of us needs a timeout in the busyness, and I am beginning to get to a point that I can start taking the must needed moments in life to stop and really be thankful. In these moments, I also took the time to read yet another book. This book will leave you speechless and feel emotions that one always doesn’t feel from a book. Today, it is my pleasure to review for you “The Color of Snow” by Brenda Stanley.

Summary:

Can a troubled young girl reenter society after living in isolation?

When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora--a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.

Review:

Sometimes, when I read a really good book, I think really hard on how to write the review because I want to do the author justice. This is one of those books. After typing and re-typing my starting sentence to this review, I couldn’t decide on the best way to get across to you just how breath-taking this book was. What it came down to is one word: Stunning. This book captured my interest from the very beginning and held it all the way through. The characters were stunning and hauntingly beautiful, the setting captivated me, and the story itself was perfected through the mastery of the author. Novels with such sadness and longing seen through the eyes of a child are few and far between. Mixed in with the purest sense of love, confusion, and growing up in a world filled with the unknown makes this book a delicacy in the truest form. I have read many great books over the years, and I would classify The Color of Snow on the shelf with Harper Lee’s wonderful words. There were times I had to remember to breathe. The alternating stories within the book held my attention and I always wanted more yet was scared at what that more would entail. I felt myself being drawn to Sophie’s struggle. Her innocence was so beautiful that I fell in love with her the moment I met her, just like everyone in the book. Her character is one that you will remember and refer to as true beauty and purity. Her existence mixed in with Luke and Vee’s love story truly is a work of art for the ages. There are core emotions in each and every character and I found myself feeling each struggle and pain and love that each of the characters felt. It was heartbreaking, suspenseful, with an ending that will leave you questioning everything life is about. In short: The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley was simply stunning. Stunning. If my review didn’t convince you to read this book, please read an excerpt from the book. This made it to my Top Ten list of quotes from books and you will see why:

“This is where I go when I can’t stand life anymore. The first time I came here, I tried to kill myself. I stole my dad’s gun and had it all planned out. Then I sat here and looked around at all this and thought...who would care? I’m nothing and no one would miss me, so why do it? That’s when I decided to live for me. I do what makes me happy now and screw the rest of them.”

There you have it friends. Try not to read it, I dare you.

About the Author:

Brenda Stanley is former television news anchor and investigative reporter for the NBC affiliate in Eastern Idaho. She has been recognized for her writing by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, The Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is the mother of 5 children, including two sets of twins. Brenda and her husband Dave, a veterinarian, live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.

Want to get a copy to read? I don’t blame you. You can purchase The Color of Snow with these great links:

There you have it friends. Another great book to add to your reading list. I will be back soon with updates about my life and what has been going on. I have plenty to tell you and can’t wait to catch up. Until then, go and get a copy of the book. You won’t regret it. A shout out to Nicole from Tribute Books for again giving me another great book to add to the shelf. J